Mozilla has spun out Bespin for developers to run naked and free in an extensible web-based code editing paradise that promotes open relationships standards.

The not-for-profit outfit said yesterday that the project, which has been under development for several months, would act as a collaborative working space for coders who use HTML5 features to fiddle with.

Mozilla has loaded the editor with syntax highlighting, preview-in-browser and import and export options. There’s a Ubiquity style command line and a basic tool bar for major features.

The firm hopes to get hundreds of car-key-swapping developers to share ideas on how to increase “productivity, enable compelling user experiences, and promote the use of open standards.” The source code is provided under the Mozilla Public Licence.

Mozilla is urging developers to check out the demo system that carries a video intro about Bespin, which is a Star Wars reference to Lando Calrissian’s home. ®